Redemption
by empty8
Summary: Chapter 8 is up, oh yeah, and REVIEW!
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1

Redemption

Chapter 1

Claire opened her eyes and looked around her.The lights were dim, but that didn't hinder her.She didn't need her eyes, not when she had her nose and her ears.She was lying on a table and she moved her arms and legs, discovering them to be free.

"That was stupid of them," she smiled to herself rolling quietly off of the bed, landing in a crouch.She looked around the room, her eyes adjusting, and saw that it was empty. The air had an antiseptic smell, indicating that she was most likely in the med lab.If so that also meant that Hank would be coming by soon to check on her.

  
Moving quickly she slipped out of the door and moved to an indent in the hallway, listening for any signs of life nearby.She could still hear people moving around on the floor above her, but thankfully the level of noise around her had started to diminish.

Knowing that the coast was clear she sprinted down the hallway, slamming against the wall at the top of the stairs.She could hear someone moving around in the library to the left of the base of the stairs, she sniffed the air and identified the person as Storm.It wouldn't be hard to sneak past her.

She had been unable to leave this place up until now.She had been trapped here much like she had been trapped in her own body, but that was all different.She was once again in charge, and she had decided that things were going to change.

She moved and lunged over the side of the banister, landing silently on the balls of her bare feet on the marble floor of the entrance hallway.She froze, listening for any sign that someone had realized that something was wrong, but she heard nothing.

  
The X-men were not as infallible as they thought.They were armed to the hilt to keep people out, but they were less than capable of keeping people in. She watched as Storm crossed the foyer, unaware of her presence. When she had left the room Claire waited a few moments and then walked out of the front door, closing it behind her before she escaped into the night.

  
She didn't know where she was going as her legs moved quickly over the ground, putting miles between herself and the Mansion.She only knew she needed to be free of them, that ever since she had met them she hadn't been right.

After she had met them she had gone soft, and it had almost gotten her killed.Would she have cared if Charlie had died before she had met them? No.Would she have sacrificed herself to save him?Hell no.

She knew that Charles was still missing, she knew that she was the only one who knew where he was, and still she ran, taking her secret with her.She had made the mistake of caring before, now it was time to rectify it.

Back at the mansion Hank came into the lab, balancing a cup of coffee on top of some paper work, however it all went crashing to the ground when he looked at the empty bed that Claire used to occupy.

  
He bounded over to the wall, hitting the alarm with a sense of dread in his chest. 

In minutes Bishop and Cable, the mansion's self-declared security guards were in the lab to see what had happened.

  
Hank pointed to the empty bed, a fretful look on his face, "it seems that my patient has sought an early release."

Bishop made a quick sweep of the room on an off chance that she was still there, but came up empty handed just like he knew he would."First we will check the grounds and will fan out from there.How much of a head start does she have?" he asked Hank.

  
The large blue man looked at the clock next to his desk, "Anywhere between 30 to 45 minutes I would guess. However given the fact that Claire's already heightened abilities have been jump started by Cortez I would hazard to guess she could already be halfway to New York City by now."

  
Cable nodded, knowing that Hank was right, he had scanned for her when the alarm had first gone off but came up empty handed.Usually that would mean she was off the grounds, however her brainwave patterns had not been normal since Genosha and thus it had been hard to get a lock on them.If that was the case then the only person who knew where Charles Xavier was might just have disappeared into oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Her legs burned as she pumped them harder and harder, quickly covering the ground in front of her.Her feet were torn and battered, having been cut by the rocks on the ground under her heels.

The night air was sharp, stinging her lungs, but she ignored it, pushing forward, to what she didn't know.She only knew what she was leaving behind.

Her toe caught and she felt herself fall forward and she fell onto her palms, the same rocks that had been cutting into her feet now cutting into her hands, arms, and face as she rolled and skidded to a stop.

With a gasp she lifted herself into her knees and elbows, shaking her head trying to clear it, but she was so tired, all she needed was a few hours sleep.

She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes and she was fast asleep before the first drops of rain hit her face.

***********************************************

The X-men sat in the war room, watching as Bishop debriefed them on what had happened earlier yesterday morning. They all knew that Claire was gone; they all knew she was the only one who knew where Charles Xavier was.

What they didn't know was where Claire was.

"We scanned the surrounding area, however the recent rain washed away any traces she may have left, however it is doubtful that there were any." Bishop said, leaning back in his chair.

"Where do we go from here?" Asked Storm, brushing her long white hair out of her face.

The woman called Misty leaned forward, having been watching the proceedings in silence."I may be new to this game, but wouldn't it be best to just go out and look for her?I mean, how far could she have gotten?"

Logan looked at the woman, "If she don't want to be found, she won't be found darlin." he said, tipping his hat back with his hand as he watched her.

Cable nodded, "Normally I might be able to contact her, but her brainwaves are not normal and there for I can't seem to get a lock on her.The professor might be able to, however he isn't here."

Scott clenched his hand, he hated feeling helpless. "We need to find her so we can find him, but we can't find her without him." He shook his head. 

Misty sat back and slumped in her chair.

"You got something to say darlin?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, you can find her ya know, you just have to think outside the box."

Bishop gave her a dry look, "think outside the box?"

Misty nodded, "yeah. You see the reason you don't think you can find her is because you're worried about your traditional methods.Well Claire isn't your traditional person.If you want to find her you need to think like her."

"The problem is," Scott replied, "is that no one knows how she thinks."

Storm shook her head, "and we are all to blame for that. Perhaps if we had all made more effort we wouldn't be in this predicament now, however I have to disagree with you Scott." She turned to look at Remy.

"There is one person who knows how she thinks."

*************************************************

The man stopped walking as he saw something in the distance.Setting his umbrella aside he walked towards it, allowing the rain to fall onto his dark hair and into his hazel eyes.

As he got closer he saw it was the crumpled form of a woman lying prone in the mud.Moving quickly he reached her side and knelt down next to her, moving her hair out of her face, and then he froze.

She was bruised and battered, but he still recognized her.He would recognize her anywhere.

"We meet again," he whispered softly, lifting her gently so he didn't disturb her. He didn't want to alarm her, not after last time.

He left his umbrella in the dirt, smiling to himself as he carried his burden through the woods.For once the fates seemed to be smiling on him.

He had searched for her for years, and finally he found her, she had dropped right into his lap.

Now things could be set right.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

There was crackling and Claire opened her eyes. She was greeted with a view of the stars, and a warm glow coming from the perimeter of her vision.

Turning her head she saw a fire burning about 10 feet from her, casting a warm circle around her. She knew she hadn't started the fire, so the question was who did?

She sat up, leaning on her elbows and peered around her. There was no one in her sight, so she lifted her nose and sniffed, there was someone there, but she didn't recognize them.

For her that was a good thing.

Sitting up fully she crossed her legs in front of her and noted the mud caked on her skin and clothing. Her hands still bore the scars of the bombing, but it receded more every day.

"You awake," a calming voice said from behind her and Claire rolled into a crouch, growling as the fire's glow obscured her vision.

"Who are you?"

The man walked forward sitting on the other side of the fire, moving slowly as to not provoke her. "Is that anyway to treat your savior?"

Claire's eyes narrowed, it was never good when people answered a question with a question. It meant they were evading you.

"Maybe not, but it's yet to be seen if yer my 'savior', she said sarcastically.

The man across from her nodded. "You are cautious, I do not blame you, it is a dangerous world we live in is it not?" He motioned for her to sit down, and although she didn't want to she found herself compelled to obey. She sat down, however her body was held taunt, ready to fight or flee, what ever need arose.

The man studied her, it was obvious that she was alert, and that she didn't trust him. She had changed a lot in the time they had last been together, and it didn't appear that she knew who he was, however it was most likely for the best. It would give them a fresh start.

He took a spic off of the fire and tore off a piece of the rabbit he had been cooking and handed it out to her. She eyed him suspiciously, looking in his eyes, instead of at his hand.

"Eat, if I wanted to kill you I would have done it already."

"Unless you had a worse plan in mind."

Claire watched as irritation flitted across the man's face, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. This man had control of himself she thought.

"Fine, don't eat." His hand retreated back to his side and he bit into the meat, the fact that she didn't trust him to eat it irritating him. It wasn't often that a person didn't trust him, he made sure of that. He had never had this problem with Claire before.

Of course a lot of time has passed, and she had changed. Her hair was short, cut close to her head, and there were scars on her body, although they looked old and healed. Her eyes had a sharpness to them that they had before lacked. She watched him much like a lion watches an antelope, waiting for it to make the wrong move so it can pounce.

"So why am I here?" Claire asked and the man shrugged.

"I found you and you seemed like you needed help. I was lonely so I brought you here to care for you."

Claire stood up, "That a load of crap, tell me what you really want or I'll separate your head from your body asshole." She growled.

****************************************************

Remy looked around as everyone turned to stare at him. Normally he liked being the center of attention, but not when it concerned Claire.

"Well?" Scott asked.

"Well what Cyke? You want Remy to tell you he has de p'tite all figured out and he know exactly where she went. Sorry, dat not be happenin." He looked at him begrudgingly.

Scott took a calming breath and leaned forward. Things have never been pleasant between him and Gambit. They had only became more strained after his return from the dead with Dim in tow. He looked over at the large man who was sitting on the floor against the wall with Jubilee by his side, her hand on his shoulder.

He knew his gentle friend blamed himself for what happened to Claire, but everyone else knew there was nothing Dim could have done. Claire made her choice, pure and simple.

That wasn't to say that he wasn't grateful for the decision she had made, she had sacrificed herself to save their mentor. However they no longer knew where he was, and she had left. They were stuck.

Justified or not, he was angry about that.

"Can you tell us where she might go?"

Remy looked up and shrugged, "Away from here mon ami, away from you." He looked around him, an accusatory gleam in his eye.

****************************************************

The man chided her, "such a temper. I just want fine food and someone to eat it with, is that so hard to believe?"

"Where I come from? Yeah."

"And where do you come from?"

Claire studied him, trying to size him up. He was trying to appear non-threatening, which usually meant that there was a threat there.

"I've been around. You?" Her voice was flat.

"Ah myself, I go where ever the whim takes me." He leaned back against a fallen log with a smile. His hair was soft and dark, his teeth straight and white, but his hazel eyes had an edge to them. They held a predators gleam.

"That must be nice, no responsibilities, no 'cause' to fight for."

"I didn't say that," he looked at her, "I had a cause, something I was looking for a very long time for, but now I've found it and everything will be right."

Claire didn't like where this was going. "What were you looking for?"

The man looked at her with hooded eyes, "you."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Claire looked at him from across the fire, his gray eyes were softly gazing at her, and although she was aware that what he had just said should alarm her, for some reason it didn't.

Instead, her whole body felt calm, as if it were slowing down.She nodded and smiled softly at him.

"I bet you say that to all the girls." She said softly, gazing deeply into his eyes.

The man smiled softly, his lips pulling away from his teeth to reveal perfect white teeth. "No I do not my dear, only to you."

Claire's eyes widened, how had he known her name.Her instincts were telling her to get up and leave, but another part of her didn't want to.

"You seem to have the advantage, you know my name, but I have no idea who you are."

The man nodded, "you will know me my dear, make no mistake about that.My name is Gerald."

Claire let the name roll around on the inside of her head. "How do you know me?" Her voice sounded soft, far away to her.

Across the fire from her Gerald stood up and held his hand out to her. "We share mutual friends, would you like to meet them?"

Claire felt her legs lifting her smoothly off of the ground, the muscles no longer protesting. "I don't have friends mister, and even if I did why would I have to be introduced to them?"

Gerald took Claire's hand, closing his large hand over her smaller one and drawing it to his arm.She fell into place beside him, as if it were completely natural for her.

"Over time the mind forgets my dear, I'm simply here to help you remember."

*********************************************

Hank bent over a microscope looking at his latest sample.This one was from a blood sample he had taken from Claire.

He was fascinated to figure out how Cortez had affected her, and how she had survived the blast.Reaching up he scratched his sideburn as he looked at the slide.

His eyes narrowed as he saw something that didn't make sense.There appeared to be a foreign matter floating in her blood.It held the appearance of a cell, but there was a small matter of silvery liquid suspended in the center.

"Fascinating," he muttered, reaching for a needle lying nearby on the table.Inserting the needle into the cell he attempted to extract the silvery material, but the moment he punctured the cell there was a flash of light, and a wave of heat that knocked him off of his stool.

He sat up on the ground and rubbed his eyes, wishing the stars he was seeing would cease and desist. Scrambling up as fast as he could he looked back into the microscope only to find that not only had the slide been destroyed, but half of the microscope also.

He looked around for pieces of it, but it was as if it had simply vanished.

"How very peculiar." He bounced over to the storage unit in the lab and extracted another sample of Claire's blood, inserting it into the high powered Sh'air computer he used for his research.

He turned to some paperwork he had to fill out while he waited.It only took the machine about a half-hour to make a report, and as Hank sat down to read the contents of the sample he was stunned.

He read it again to make sure that he hadn't misunderstood, but it was there, in black and white.

"That's impossible," Hank muttered to himself, taking off his glasses and chewing on the edge. "That doesn't even exist in out galaxy."

He looked over at the samples in the storage unit realizing that it held the unstable substance known to mankind.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Misty sat between Storm and Cable as they watched Bishop explain the various routes she could have used to leave the mansion.

Personally Misty thought it was a waste of time, because as she saw it, they all led to the same place. 

Away from here.

It was quiet obvious that Claire didn't want to be found, so why didn't they just leave her alone?Wouldn't their time be better spent trying to find the professor?

"This is all fine and good bub, but after all this analysis, what have ya come up with?" Logan asked, chewing on his cigar.

Bishop retracted his pointer with a sigh. "That we have no idea where she is.There is no trace of her."

Remy snorted, "coulda told ya that mon ami, Claire not be the type to leave behind clues."

Logan nodded in agreement, "maybe not but she can't hide her scent, or her biosignitiure," he looked at Misty, "so from where I sit, I think we've got a pretty good shot at finding her if we get off our butts and do something."

For the first time since she had met the short Canadian Misty agreed with him.

**************************************************

Claire followed Gerald through the forest, her feet were sore from walking without shoes, but for some reason it didn't bother her.

He turned towards the base of a cliff, and ushered her into the opening of a small cave.

"Do not fret my dear, we are almost there."

Claire nodded silently, wondering why her legs did not seem able to obey her commands. Her toe caught on a rock and she fell forward, piercing her palm on a sharp rock.

Gerald heard her hiss in pain and gently picked her up, cradling her once again in his arms.

"Perhaps this would be better, no?Wouldn't want you to injure yourself before we got there."

Claire wanted to resist, to tell him to put her down, but instead she felt so incredibly tired.So instead she laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Gerald felt relief as he felt her finally drift off to sleep.She was much more strong willed than she used to be, and it took substantially more effort to keep her calm.

Part of him didn't want to bring her here.That part of him wanted to take her home, where it would just be them like it used to be.

However the other half of him, the part that ruled him, knew that he needed what she had, and thus sacrifices had to be made.

Gerald reached the end of the tunnel and stretched his finger out, pressing the button for the elevator, waiting patiently supporting Claire's weight in his arms.

With a gentle ding it opened, flooding the small tunnel with Florissant light, revealing the sterile metal enclosure.He got in and pressed the loan button in the box and felt the car begin to descend further into the earth.

At last, the end was almost near.

**************************************************

Misty stood in the woods with Logan and Remy. Logan was crouched low to the ground, sniffing like a bloodhound hot on the trail.

"She be here?"

Logan shook his head. "Not anymore. The trail is cold, almost two days, maybe less. Hard to tell with the rain, it washes the scent out. But there was someone else here."

"At the same time?" Misty asked, wishing there were someway she could get a signature on them.

Logan shook his head, "Don't know, if there was then it really complicates matters."

***************************************************

Gerald squinted as the bright lights of the lab assaulted his eyes.He stepped through, his dark coloring and clothing in stark contrast with the sterile white of the lab.

The scientist, who had been hard at work, stopped and stared, not at him, but at the woman in his arms.

She was the person they had been working so hard and long for. Gerald laid her on the table and nurses came forward with water and cloths and began to bath the dirt off of her face.

When the water touched her face Claire opened her eyes, the pupils contracting quickly at the light. Her hand shot out and she grabbed the nearest nurse by the neck, squeezing it hard with her hand.

"Who in the hell are you?" She growled as the other nurse dropped her pan and backed out of reach quickly. Gerald rushed forward, wrapping his hand over her wrist, prying her fingers loose.

"No, my dear, that behavior simply will not do. She was simply trying to help you, they all are." He motioned to the room behind him.

Claire sat up and looked around her, the place was filled with men and women in white lab coats.

"I _hate_ doctors." She hissed.

Gerald nodded giving her a calming smile, "quiet understandable, a detestable breed if I don't say so myself, but killing them won't do any good.Like lawyers there are always more waiting in the wings."

Claire quirked an eyebrow at him, and he continued.

"You must be exhausted after our trip, not to mention dirty.Why don't I take you to a shower where you can clean up and change into some clean cloths."

Claire nodded, "and then what? Play time?"

Gerald gave a secretive smile. "Something like that."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The water streamed down in a steamy mist, covering her bent head and shoulders as she braced herself against he tiled wall.

The water ran a warm path down her back, between her breasts, and down her legs, puddling at her feet.She had finished cleaning the dirt off of her, the tangles were now out of her hair and it fell loosely about her face, the once long tendrils now just coming back into being.

Gerald was moving around outside the shower, she could hear him pacing.There was something about him that was familiar.Every once in awhile there was a gesture, a look, a tone that sounded to familiar to her; but she couldn't place why her body thought it was familiar.

She threw her head back, sending a spray of water around her as she stood straight, reaching forward to turn the water off.

She stepped out of the shower, the water puddling around her feet on the clean white tile floor and she reached for the fluffy white terrycloth robe that Gerald had given her before she went into the bathroom.

She wrapped it around her, cinching it at the waste and rolling the sleeves up so her hands were free.

Gerald, who had been waiting for her to finish so he cold bring her back to the lab turned when the bathroom door opened and for a moment he was speechless.Claire's skin was flushed from the warm water, and she looked amazingly appealing in the oversized robe.It took actual thought to force himself not to take her in his arms, she wasn't ready for that, not yet.

Instead he smiled at her, "You look much better," was all he said, hoping she could see the physical effect she had on him.

"They are waiting for us, so we must hurry." He motioned towards the door.

Claire stood where she was, studying him."Who are 'they' and why are they waiting for me?"

Gerald clamped down on his irritation, she was being cautious. "They are the friends I told you about, they are here to help you."

One of Claire's eyebrows arched onto her forehead, "I wasn't aware I needed help."

Gerald moved towards her, softening his voice, "Claire, there are times when we all need help, please, follow me."

Once again Claire felt the lethargy come over her and she felt herself nod and she took his arm again following him out the door.What was going on here?

They entered the main lab again, only this time he directed her towards the center where there were chairs lined up in front of a large glass sphere. He placed her in one of the chairs before he moved to confer with one of the scientists.

Claire took the opportunity to observe the area around her.The sphere appeared to connected to a device of some sort.It was held in the air by two large clamps, and there were two large magnets on either side of it, pointing at each other through the glass.

She watched the scientists on the edges of her vision, they were continuing their work, but they kept sending her nervous glances.The tension in the room was high, and it smelled of excitement.Whatever was about to happen it was big.

"Excuse me," Claire turned to see an elderly man in a lab coat peering at her through thick glasses and she growled at him.She didn't like doctors.

The man looked slightly startled and sent Gerald a questioning look.Gerald nodded at him and pushed him forward, as if urging him to continue.

The man sat in the chair next to her, perching on the edge of the seat as if he would take flight any moment now.Claire eyed him up, judging what his next move would be.

"I would like to introduce myself, my name is Dr. Kovic, and I am very excited to meet you." He held out his hand.

Claire stared at the out stretched hand and glared at him until he withdrew it.

"We have all been waiting for a long time for you, and now that you are here some very exciting things are going to happen."

Claire sent a suspicious look at Gerald, "what kind of things?"

Dr. Kovic cleared his throat, "tell me my dear, do you know what anti-matter is?"

*********************************************

Logan stared at the rock, the trail just ended there, but they couldn't have just disappeared into nothing.

Misty stifled a yawn, and wished her stomach would quite growling.They had been searching for Claire for almost 13 hours, and now they had come to a dead end, literally.

She peered at the rock, looking for a seam, anything that would give the impression that it could be moved, but she saw nothing.

"I don't know about you guys," Misty started, "but I'm stumped."

Logan shook his head, it just didn't make any sense, there was nothing around these parts, so where could she have disappeared to?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Claire leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, "actually no, I don't but I have a feeling your going to tell me iall/i about it." She drawled.

The doctor nodded and pulled up a chair next to her, his eyes gleaming with excitement.  "Everything in the universe was created in polarities.  There are protons and neutrons, each with an opposite charge.  Now everything on earth is created of matter and for years we have been trying to discover what its polarity is, the answer to that is anti-matter.  The problem is it only exists outside our solar system and is extremely unstable and thus impossible to manufacture in large quantities."

Claire looked at him blankly, however there was much going on in her head.  What did this have to do with her?

The doctor saw the blank look on her face and believed she didn't understand.

p

"To put it in simpler terms, pound for pound, antimatter is over 10 times stronger than a nuclear warhead.  Where as nuclear power is about 5% efficient, antimatter is 100% efficient."

Claire's eyes widened at this, that would put a pretty large hole in the ground.  "Ok here's the million dollar question, what does this have to do with me?"

Dr. Kovic leaned back and looked at Gerald who nodded, resting a hand on Claire's shoulder.

"Claire, we believe that _you_ hold a source of antimatter large enough to study."

******************************************************

Scott looked at the folder that Hank handed him, "what does this mean Hank?"

Hank McCoy cleared his throat, "in layman's terms it means if you break a vile of her blood, your going to have one hell of an explosion on your hands."

Scott looked at the computer read out unable to believe what it said.  He remembered studying about antimatter in high school, but that was over 15 years ago, and in many respects a lifetime.  

"What I don't understand is how she survives with this kind of substance in her body?"

Hank took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, "I do not totally understand myself, but I have come up with a couple of hypothesis. The best one being that her body naturally produces it, requiring an efficient energy source to be able to adapt so quickly to her environment. However I will not be able to test it until she returns." He didn't say if, because right now, 'if' wasn't even an option.

"Hank, she has been injured before, why wasn't there an explosion then?"

Hank sat there silently for a moment, he had been wondering the same thing, so he gave Scott the only explanation he had.

"I believe it is because something happened that forced her body to produce more of the anti-matter than it ever had before."

Scott and Hank looked at each other, they were both thinking the same thing, something like being nailed to a cross when the bombs dropped.

*******************************************************

Claire stood up, "hold on, I'm not about to become someone's guinea pig, so you can forget that."

Kovic's gaze flew to Gerald's.  Gerald gritted his teeth, she was not cooperating like she should and it was proving increasingly tiresome.

"You seem to think you have a choice my dear."

Claire turned to at Gerald, but as she turned he waved his hand across her face and she felt her legs give out as she descended into darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Misty sat next to Logan and stared into the fire.  They had decided to camp it out for the night and continue the search tomorrow, a fact that she wouldn't mind so much if there weren't so many mesquites.

"Ouch," she slapped her neck as another one bit her.

Logan sent her a wry look, "if you keep doing that yer gonna injure yerself kid."

Misty glared at him, "my names Misty, not kid, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

Logan shrugged, "ya look like a kid to me."

Remy laughed as Misty rolled her eyes, he didn't know why the man got such a kick out of tormenting her, but it sure was funny to watch.

"Come mon p'tite, Logan mean nothing by it, non?  It be a pet name."

Logan snorted, "kinda like Fido."

Misty threw a rock at Logan and it bounced off his head, which only made Remy laugh harder.

"The two of you are impossible."

Logan nodded, "that's what I've been told."

*************************************************

Dim sat on the patio watching the stars when Scott came out.  He saw the large man who had been his friend, who had protected and cared for him when he didn't know whom he was, and it broke his heart to see him so sad.

He walked up to him and sat next to him on the bench.

"Is everything alright?" He asked softly, placing his hand on the larger man's arm.

Dim turned to look at him and smiled sadly, "Dim do not understand why things happen this way."

Scott nodded, he knew that to this large gentleman, the events that had happened were mind boggling.

"Well Dim, I guess it's really hard for anyone to understand, but in the end everyone did what they thought was best. They all tried to help in their own way."

"Even friend Claire?"

Scott nodded, "Even Claire."

"Then why is she gone? Doesn't she like us anymore?"

Scott rubbed his forehead with his hand, "its not that she doesn't like us Dim, she is just going through something really hard right now.  She got hurt real bad and it is taking her awhile to get better."

Dim was silent for a moment and then his shoulders started to shake and Scott realized he was crying. He stood up and wrapped his arms around the larger man's shoulders.

"What's wrong?" He whispered into his ear.

"Dim didn't help," his voice was shaky, "Dim left friend Claire there and now she's gone, its all Dims fault."

Scott felt tears build in his eyes and he felt like choking, Dim actually thought what had happened was on his shoulders. Scott tightened his grip on his resting his cheek on his friend's head.

"Listen to me, i no one/i blames you.  Not me, not the X-men, and most of all not Claire.  Your one of the few people who was kind to her and she'll never forget that."

Dim nodded, and sobbed softly into Scott's shoulder.

*****************************************************

Claire woke up with the feeling of weightlessness.  She opened her eyes as she saw that she was encased in something but when she reached her hand forward to touch it she couldn't.  She was being held in stasis by gale force winds that were circling her and holding her a loft.

"Now don't try to get out of it my dear, you will only hurt yourself." Gerald's voice came out of a speaker at the top of the container.

"What in the hell are ya doin?" Claire asked, glaring at him.

Gerald simply smiled serenely, she looked quiet beautiful suspended as she was, her loose white clothing flowing around her, her hair just long enough to be caught in the breeze.

"I am simply doing what we were supposed to do years ago."

"We?"

"Yes Claire, before you disappeared."

Claire watched as the scientists behind him worked hurriedly.  "Let me repeat the question, what is going on?"

"Oh them?" He looked behind at them dismissivly.  "They are getting ready for the experiment.

Claire had a sinking feeling that she was the experiment.  She looked around the glass globe she was in, she was about 3 feet from its surface all around, but to her frustration she could not penetrate the force field the wind created.

She heard the whir of gears and she looked to see multiple mirrors being pulled into place, all the while everyone ignored her.

"Now my dear, what is going to happen is we are going to accelerate rays of light until they gain such a speed that it will put stress onto your body."

"Why are ya gonna do that?"

Gerald shook his head, "why are iyou going/i to do that my dear, there is no excuse for poor grammar."  He simply shrugged when she glared at him.

"We already explained this my dear, we want to create anti-matter."

Claire studied him for a moment, she didn't see how that involved her. Gerald laughed when he saw her confusion and he walked up next to the glass.

"Not to worry, you shall understand soon enough!" He turned to look a Kovak who nodded that he was ready and Claire watched as Gerald moved away from the glass and slipped dark glasses over his eyes, and everyone else in the room did the same.

There was a series of whirring noises as machines were put into place, positioning itself for what ever was to come.

"Now do not worry my sweet," Gerald spoke, "this will only hurt a little."

Claire pounded against the airflow, trying to get at the surface, screaming profanities at him, but it did no use. She watched as a laser heated up and suddenly released a ray of light so bright that she had to turn away and cover her face.  The light refracted off of the mirrors until there was soon a web of light surrounding her and slowly closing in as it bounced back and forth, criss-crossing around her body. Soon the heat became unbearable and her skin started to blister.

Gerald watched as Claire fought not to scream, admiring her courage, but at the same time knowing it was in vain.

"We are almost there," he whispered to Kovak, who nodded and turned up the power.

In the container Claire felt something building with her, starting at her sternum and working it's way down into her abdomen and into her arms and legs. She squeezed her eyes shut, it hurt so much, as if it was burning from her insides out.  The only thing she could think of was how she was going to hurt Gerald when she got out of this.

Suddenly it was as it something popped in her body, and the build up of pressure seemed to flow out of her as if it were water.

Gerald watched in awe as the energy flowed from Claire's body, coming out in silk like strands from her limbs.  The substance exploded with a heat that he could feel from where he was standing when it hit the wall of air, but the energy was either not strong enough, or the barrier was too thick for it to pass all the way through.

Kovak killed the energy supply to the laser and the light stopped, however the room remained illuminated by the energy circling Claire as she floated in the middle of the sphere.  She looked around her and reached out towards the strange blue light, pulling back when it burnt her on contact.

Gerald watched this, "interesting, she cannot reabsorb it."

Claire looked through the glass at Gerald, so this was anti-matter, it didn't seem so impressive to her.

"This is it?" She asked and Kovak walked forward.

"Do not be fooled by its beauty, it must be contained in this space, not touching  anything or it will explode."

Claire narrowed her eyes; the man had just made his first mistake.


End file.
